


Cocoa and Kisses

by fictionalinfinity



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, mlss2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 05:57:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17401301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalinfinity/pseuds/fictionalinfinity
Summary: Chat Noir seeks out the comfort of a friend when he can't handle the loneliness that haunts him, but finds more than just a friend in Marinette Dupain-Cheng.





	Cocoa and Kisses

Marinette, after a relaxing evening with her family, bid her parents goodnight and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Before closing the trap door, she peered down for a final glimpse at the sparkling lights of the Christmas tree. With a smile, she left the door and went to her balcony.  
Meanwhile, Adrien cast a resentful glare towards the tall and elegant Christmas tree that sat in the foyer. The ornaments his mother had once cherished hung from the branches, but now they felt impersonal. Placed solely by the staff with no other intention than to create a stylized decoration, the tree was a stark reminder of what he had become in his home life. A doll to be doted on and dressed up, a simple plaything for his father. Adrien couldn’t stand to look at it any longer.  
Adrien turned on his heel and climbed the stairs his bedroom, not bothering to look towards his father’s office. The door would be closed anyway. Once inside his room, however, Plagg zoomed out from beneath his jacket and began to chatter away, complaining about a lack of cheese or something. All Adrien could think about was his desire to get out of the house, feel the wind on his face, and the power he felt in himself as Chat Noir.  
“Plagg, would you mind…” Adrien started quietly, trailing off for a moment, “Would you mind if I transformed for a bit?” At this, the kwami actually paused to look at him. It wasn’t often that the kwami showed much concern for his holder, but in moments like this Adrien could tell that he really was cared for by the small god. Plagg merely nodded his head in agreement before Adrien called out, “Plagg, transformez-moi!”  
Within seconds, Chat Noir was racing across the rooftops and letting out a giddy laugh in exhilaration. When he looked out across the streets he saw a familiar figure gazing out upon Paris, and after a moment's hesitation, he moved towards her. 

Marinette leaned against the railing on her balcony, the slight breeze fluttering her hair. In the distance the lights on the Eiffel Tower twinkled, and beside her Tikki hummed some unfamiliar tune. Suddenly she stopped humming and zipped behind a flower pot. “What…?” Marinette muttered before shouting in surprise as a loud clanging noise sounded beside her. Spinning around, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was merely her partner, Chat Noir. “Chat, what are you doing here? You scared me!” She chuckled nervously.  
“Oh, sorry...I...I’ll go,” Chat Noir muttered as he turned to go, but Marinette caught his hand and stopped him before she could jump away. Something about the tired sound in his voice and his weary expression concerned her. She couldn’t help it! “Marinette?” He asked in confusion, glancing back to look at her.  
“I didn’t mean it like that. You’re welcome to stay, in fact! You just surprised me, that’s all,” Marinette smiled warmly at the hero, gesturing to the spot beside her. Warily he jumped down, placed his elbows on the railing, and rested his head on his fist before huffing out a breath. “I can tell that something is bothering you. Would you like to talk about it?” She asked gently, placing a comforting hand on his arm.  
“You’re a perceptive girl, Marinette,” Chat Noir smiled tiredly at her. “But it’s probably best I don’t share. Secret identity and stuff, you know. Sorry,” He shrugged apologetically.  
“Don’t apologize, I get it…” She replied before continuing, “I keep an electric kettle and some mugs in my room for nights like this. Would you like some cocoa?” Marinette laughed when he began to nod emphatically. “Alright then. You can come in, if you like. It’s much warmer in in my room than on my balcony, that’s for sure.”

Chat marvelled at the kindness of his classmate. He wished she could be this kind and unafraid of Adrien, but for now he wouldn’t think about that. It was incredible seeing her open up like this to any version of him. He followed her inside, crawled over her bed carefully, pointedly ignoring any trinkets or momentos she kept in this part of her room (it certainly felt more like an invasion of privacy here than it did up on the balcony), and climbed down the ladder towards the floor of her room.  
“You can sit over on the chaise,” Marinette offered with a smile on her face before she went over to her sink and filled the kettle. Chat Noir meandered over to said pink chaise, only just noticing how truly...pink everything really was. Sure, he’d been here before, but he hadn’t paid much attention mid battle (be it of the akuma or Ultimate Mecha Strike III variety). This time he took a few minutes to glance around the room and take in the details. By her desk he could see photos, but the room was too dim to make out what they were of. Partially finished sewing projects were strewn about the room, and a few of her designs were left out on the floor in front of him. This room was lived in, well loved, and so very Marinette.  
Chat hadn’t realized how much time had passed before a steaming mug of cocoa appeared before him. “Here you go! It’s still really hot, so you might want to give it a minute,” Marinette kindly informed him as she handed him the beverage. She only paused for a few seconds before deciding to sit herself beside him on the chaise, mug in hand. It was only then that he really took her in. She was dressed for bed, and for the first time in his life, he was seeing her with her hair down. She’s beautiful, he thought before he could stop himself.  
“Uh, th-thank you,” he stuttered before holding up his mug nervously and saying, “cheers!” If she noticed his momentary awkwardness, she didn’t do anything besides laugh and clink their mugs together. “So…” he started, trying to think of something to say.  
“Yeah?” Marinette asked before blowing some of the steam away from her drink.  
“What were you doing up on your balcony at this time of night?” Chat Noir finally asks, and gives an internal cheer when she hums thoughtfully and doesn’t think him a total idiot. Marinette takes a sip of her drink before she answers.  
“I find the city at night to be very relaxing. I like the feeling of the wind on my face, and I love the way the city sparkles at night,” Marinette replied shyly, and Chat found he agreed with her. In fact, that was part of the reason he was out at all tonight. It was interesting that he and his classmate, that he and Marinette had this in common. He wished he had taken the time to get to know her sooner. Chat guessed he would just have to make up for lost time now.  
They began asking each other questions, and eventually they fell into a natural rhythm. It was so nice to get to know the girl he’d always admired from afar. The conversation progressed from asking each other their favorite color (he told her that his was green, and hers was pink, he’d learned) to talking about their aspirations in life (she wanted to be a fashion designer and he a teacher). He’d made sure to remain safely vague, but still honest enough about himself without giving his identity away. Eventually, he decided it was safe enough to answer her very first question of the night.  
“My mother,” Chat Noir said suddenly. Marinette turned to him with a confused look, and gestured for him to go on. “You asked earlier why I was here… I had to get out of the house. Christmas was my mother’s favorite time of year, but ever since she...died (Emilie was only officially considered missing, but deep in his heart he knew his mother was never coming home) the holiday has always upset me, to say the least. I needed to get out. It’s like you said earlier. The feeling of the wind on my face, seeing the city lights sparkle, it helps. And then I saw you standing on your balcony, and I figured I’d stop by.”  
“Oh, Chat, I’m so sorry!” Marinette’s hands flew up to her mouth for a moment. “If you ever need to talk, or even if you just want to have another cup of cocoa with me, please know my door is open. It’s always open,” she said fiercely, gripping his hand tightly.  
“Thank you, Marinette,” Chat smiled, and he couldn’t help the way his eyes watered. He didn’t deserve a friend like her, but here she was. Eventually the conversation carried on, moving towards more light hearted topics. Marinette’s eyes grew tired, and she laid her head on his shoulder to continue the conversation, and before he knew it, Marinette was asleep. He felt himself blush and his heart raced as he saw the peaceful expression on her face, and once again couldn’t help himself when the word beautiful came to mind.  
Gently, he lifted Marinette as so not to wake her, and with the strength and ease that came from his miraculous, he carried her up the ladder to her bed. He cast one last smile at her before fleeing into the night. 

Marinette was surprised when she woke up in her bed. How had she gotten there? She had fallen asleep on her chaise next to… Chat! That meant he must have carried her up here. Marinette blushed fiercely at the thought. But was that true, or had she really dreamed it all up? She forced herself to get up and saw their empty mugs from the night before still sitting on the floor. It really hadn’t been a dream. The way she had felt last night had been real. 

Marinette should have been surprised when Chat Noir showed up on her balcony looking hopeful the next night, but she wasn’t. Nor was she surprised the night after that when he arrived, or when he began to show up every night. It seems that her offer of an open door and a mug of cocoa had not fallen on deaf ears.  
She wasn’t even surprised when she began to anticipate their late night talks, when her heart pounded as he flew over the rooftops to greet her, when her cheeks and the tips of her ears burned red when he flashed her that smile of his, when she took down the pictures of Adrien that littered her wall. Marinette had let herself fall in love willingly. There was no surprise to be had.  
When Christmas Eve finally came and her parents had gone to sleep, Marinette put her gift for Chat Noir in a prettily wrapped box and climbed up to her balcony. She could see him running to meet her, and her heart thumped in the now familiar fast pattern. “Merry Christmas!” She declared when he arrived, thrusting the box towards him.  
“Merci, Marinette!” He gasped, taking the box. “May I open it?” Chat asked, and she nodded in affirmation. 

Chat Noir froze when he lifted the lid of the box and saw what sat inside the box. A mug. A little cat-themed mug. “For when you come over and we drink cocoa! I figured it was time you had your own,” Marinette said, and after getting to know her so well he could recognize the slight nervousness in her voice, and he saw the way she fidgeted with her hands. He knew how important this was to both her and him.  
“Merci beaucoup, I love it!” Chat said, and then set the mug down. “I have something for you too, actually,” he said, and suddenly it was his turn to be nervous about a gift.  
“Really?” She asked, her eyes widening, and he nodded. Before he could back down, he met her lips with his own. Marinette stiffened in shock, but only for a moment, before she melted into the kiss. When they finally pulled apart, she smiled and grabbed his hand. “Merci, Chat Noir. Now, how about we put that new mug of yours to good use?” Marinette said, and pulled him towards her room, and later as they sat on her chaise together, he cherished the way she tasted of cocoa when he kissed her again.


End file.
